With the combat going on, it eventually had become clear to Ylva that the Oberst simply did not have time to answer her radio message. Not that that had been important. She had provided the tools. It was up to Oberst Black to decide whether to use them. She personally did not care much beyond it, but there was a certain pride she felt when her skills were put to use. Some of the commanders she had served under in the past had been reluctant to use her full range of skills. But those had all been back on Earth, where the use of several of those weapons she specialized in were considered easy one-way tickets to a war crimes trial. So many squeamish people.
Fortunately, most of her commanders had been more open-minded. To defeat the worst enemies, you simply can’t hold any means back. Fortunately, here in Space, there were no such inconvenient rules like the geneva conventions. Her missions need not be hidden behind veils of secrecy. It was so much easier that way.
Mere minutes after she left the lab, someone announced on the intercom that two of the three enemy vessels had been incapacitated, one through weapons fire, the other through use of weaponized Sarin Gas. She heard cheering from one of the communal areas, but still felt the need to be alone. She had never much liked social interaction, and there was no need to celebrate having done what was simply necessary. Besides, the announcement had not mentioned that the ship in question was crewed by only two. To those who did not know better, all evidence would indicate that there were many more. She was thinking about all that when all of a sudden she fell over as if someone pushed her. It took her a few moments to realize that that was exactly what happened. Sensing a possible attack, Vanja immediately seized control, starting to roll over, but not quickly enough to stop the steel-toed combat boot straight to Ylva’s spine. If she had counted, the impact would have been between what the Tau’ri called Thoracic Vertebrae T3 & T4. But of course she was far too busy taking a beating to do that. One moment, Ylva’s body reported everything about how the kick hurt and what was damaged, the next moment, Vanja only got reports from the upper half of Ylva’s body. The attacker, whomever he or she was, had severed Ylva’s spine. Vanja neither felt nor noticed when the attacker pushed a thin needle into Ylva’s right kidney, injecting something.
Vanja had to struggle to keep Ylva down, to keep her from screaming in agony. To keep her from moving. While not really recommended, she finished rolling their body over, but she could not see any trace of their attacker. Whomever it was had already left. A bit odd, but at the same time fairly logical. Without even having caught a glimpse, neither Vanja nor Ylva could provide any sort of identification, and this section of the ship didn’t have all that much surveillance, with none being in this particular corridor segment. She had already begun the work of mending the severed nerves and vertebrae, but that was no easy feat. Especially not with Ylva screaming in agony inside. Struggling a little, she tried to call for help on the radio, but it seemed not to work. She did her best to remain calm and to make sure that Ylva did the same. It wasn’t easy. The only relief she had was that someone might have heard something or that someone might pass through. This corridor was central enough for that not to take too long. In the meantime, she could only start working on mending what she could. Humans might be fairly easy to repair, but severe spinal damage was no joke. Not without the dangerous sarcophagus technology.
~|~
Ingrid couldn’t believe her ears! They had gassed one of the Lucian alliance ships. Even though they were sworn enemies and so on, nobody deserved the agony of dying from Sarin gas. Nobody. She had rushed out from her quarters to find the Scientist Ylva Falk and talk it out with her. She had not been able to see much of the records on that one, but all evidence indicated she had a tendency to ignore international laws when it suited her. Not a good attitude. The very secretiveness of her records indicated that others higher up in the military felt the same way, that international laws and conventions could be ignored.
She did not know where to find Ylva, but presumed it had to be somewhere near the labs. Or at least hoped it would be. She did not relish the idea of searching the entire ship. She had left her quarters and headed straight for the labs, only to find her not there. Ingrid followed the corridor away again in the opposite direction. She had just convinced herself that she actually had to search the entire ship when she spotted someone lying on their back in the middle of the corridor. Someone lying in a very unusual position. Throwing all caution to the non-existent wind, Ingrid rushed forwards. She had, as part of her training, been taught medium-level first aid, and it did not take a genius to realize that something here was wrong. Of course, some coined her a genius, so that example might be unfitting, but whatever. This was clearly someone who needed help.
It took her but a few moments to recall her lessons. First step was always to determine the extent of the injuries, to get an idea of the state of the patient. Ingrid started by checking whether the patient breathed. She did. Her breathing was regular, if a bit rapid. She was not quite conscious, but Ingrid knew she had to figure out other injuries before rolling her onto her side. She wished she had had some gloves, but since being hired by the IOA, she had foolishly stopped having such on hand all the time. She gently probed the shape of the woman’s head, trying to feel if anything was broken. Thankfully, all evidence indicated the skull was intact. Then she moved down to the torso, gently pressing first upon the shoulders, then on the upper chest, all the while watching the woman’s face for reactions. It had immediately been clear that the woman, whomever she was, could still feel pain. Her face reflected just that. Ever so slowly, Ingrid moved downwards, checking for injuries. When she was about half-way down the torso, it was apparent that there was something seriously wrong, for her face showed intense agony upon the probing. Even worse, she showed no reaction at all below that. Not even a pinch to the inner thigh showed pain. No man or woman who was ok did not feel pain there.
Ingrid was about to radio in her discoveries when she saw something odd. It looked like a slight pulsating shudder in the woman's throat. She had never before seen its like. It was standard procedure to figure out rough extend of injuries before reporting in. No point in calling medics if they did not know what was going on. It was a fully justified delay. Upon seeing the shudder, she leaned closer, curious about what it could be.
~|~
Vanja could feel the attempts of the unknown human checking out the damage to Ylva. Although she did not know exactly understand what was detected, it was clear that there was a purpose behind it all. It did no further harm, so she did not mind it, even as she tried to mend the severed nerves. She did not have much success. Ylva’s body was weaker than it ought to be, and nerve damage is one of the hardest repair jobs to do, simply because mistakes could not be afforded. After what felt like an eternity, but which in truth was probably a couple of minutes at most, Vanja managed to get a partial patch on one nerve strand to Ylva’s lower body. It was just enough to get a hint that something was seriously wrong before the patch broke due to an involuntary shudder.
She then started checking for other hints. Only then did she sense the evidence of a powerful toxin in the bloodstream, mixed with unusual concentrations of certain hormones. It took several moments to sink in, but when it did, it was clear to her that there was no way for Ylva to survive to perfect health, if she could survive at all. Vanja found herself panicking. She had too much to do before dying. Far too much.
It went against every fiber in her being, but when her would-be rescuer leaned closer for some unknown reason, she shot Ylva’s arms up, grabbing the woman’s head, twisting it to face her. No matter how much it went against her philosophy, Vanja's instinct for survival was stronger. The needs of the Tok'ra were overruled in this case. She pulled the woman's head down towards Ylva's, whispering “I’m sorry…" before kissing her, even as she slid herself loose from around Ylva's spine and shedding the nerve tendrils, prepared to take the woman as her new host.
~|~
Ingrid tried to pull back when the woman suddenly grabbed her head, but found that Ylva’s grip was inhumanly strong. There was no way to twist loose. She looked confused when the woman whispered her unusual apology, not really understanding what she was apologizing for. The woman pulled her into a rough kiss, holding her head down, when something slid past her lips. Whatever it was, it was quite slick, and less than a moment later, she felt a stabbing pain at the back of her throat. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. It hurt like hell. Then she found herself slipping backwards, as if she was losing control over herself.
~|~
When she panicked, Vanja had made sure to exit Ylva’s inner throat somewhat further down than was usual, so that the wound would not be visible without a deep autopsy of the trachea. It wasn’t an easy move, but it was safer. It was clear that her new host did not understand anything about what was happening. That in itself was a bit scary, for it had not been nearly enough years since the fall of the last real system lord. The Tau’ri should not have laxed already in the descriptions of symbiote behavior. Of course, most of the tau’ri who had been hosts were not keen on describing the event of becoming a host. As a matter of policy, she seized full control over her new host’s nervous system initially. She had to explain everything before she could dare release her. If her new host proved unwilling, she would do her best to find another. It was one thing to hold someone captive temporarily till it can be explained. That was bad enough, but at times necessary. But to hold someone against their will permanently was blasphemy. It simply wasn’t done. Not among the Tok’ra.
Whomever it was that had attacked them, they had made sure that there would be no way for her to survive. The question was whom it had been and why… Had it been an agent of the Lucian Alliance? A surviving Goa’uld who had somehow detected her? Someone else? Vanja had not sensed another symbiote, but that could be concealed. She did not know, and that she did not like. She slowly got up, wiping away the minuscule droplets of blood upon Ingrid’s lips from when she slipped in, then took a step back after pulling her Tok’ra identification out from the place it was concealed.
~|~
Ingrid didn’t understand what was happening. One moment, she had been listening to the patient’s breathing. The next moment, she had been forced into an open kiss. Then there had been the thing slipping past her lips and cutting its way through the soft tissue at the back of her throat. And finally the sensation as it wrapped itself around her spine. She wanted to scream, but found her vocal chords would not obey her. Nor would her arms or legs. In fact, she found herself imprisoned within her own body.
The thing in control over her slowly pulled away from the woman on the floor, gently wiping away the blood upon her lips. ”Goodbye, my friend.” she heard herself saying involuntarily, her voice sounding a bit strange. ”I am sorry I could not save you.” Again, the words came unbidden from her mouth. Ingrid didn’t understand. She had received some instruction about the Goa’uld and the Tok’ra, but had not been listening much to the parts about how they took hosts. Nor for that matter had there been any descriptions of what it felt like. She kept trying to control her body, but every time it failed. What possessed her now had a will of steel. She found herself incapable of calling the medics as planned. The thought 'she's dying. Nothing can save her.' popped into her mind from the creature controlling her. Ingrid wanted to scream, but of course she had no ability to do so. The being pulled something from the woman's clothes, tucking it in a pocket, then she was walked away towards her quarters.
~|~
Vanja hated controlling another the way she did now, but until she could take time to explain everything, she had little choice. Her mission was too important to risk being felled by an accident like this. It was only when she entered the woman’s private quarters that she started breaking down the wall she had set up between their consciousnesses. She locked the door and removed the key, bending it just a little so that neither of them could easily leave. Not enough to permanently damage it, but enough to make it impossible to insert into the keyhole. She could easily bend it back later.
Once she was sure there would be no interference, she remove the wall completely, relaxing her control over Ingrid’s body. ‘I am sorry we had to meet like this. My name is Vanja of the Tok’ra. My former host and friend, Ylva Falk, was attacked by an unknown party and mortally wounded. Unless the ancestors are cruel to her, she is already dead, for the poison in her blood was agonizing and the damage to her body severe. That is the only reason I would take one such as you without prior consent. As you can no doubt feel, I have released all control over your body back to you.’
~|~
When the alien thoughts entered her mind, Ingrid shuddered. They were so strange, but she could also sense the calm wisdom inherent in the voice projecting those thoughts. When it spoke of releasing control, she found that she could indeed move on her own again. The being, this Vanja of the Tok’ra, did not lie. She didn’t know how to answer, so she simply spoke out. “Umm… Hi?” immediately she felt a bit embarrassed at such a greeting.
~|~
’Hi, indeed.’ Vanja chuckled silently, letting her mirth be clear. Clearly her new host had very little experience with social interaction. ’You need not answer me out loud. I can hear your thoughts, just as you can hear mine. If you consent to remain my host, then I will grant you a longer life, better health and increased strength. Not to mention someone to talk with and my two thousand three hundred and twelve years of experience. However, if you wish not to be my host, then I will do my utmost to find another, more willing host. It is not easy to take another host like that, but it is infinitely better than having an unwilling host.’
~|~
‘oh, sorry’ Ingrid thought back. She truthfully did not know how to react, but the idea of better health and a longer life was rather compelling. She hadn’t had bad health in the past, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t ever been sick. And then there was Vanja’s experience. That too might be useful. ‘This sounds quite intriguing and beneficial to me. What’s in this deal for you? What do you get out of it? For that matter, what is your goal in being here in the first place?’
~|~
Vanja couldn’t help but smile a little at her questions and logic. She was a fine human, well worthy of respect. [i]’Well, I do get a host, so I get to live. That bit is valuable. You seem like a strong human. A strong host is always better than a weak or timid one. As for my goal. As you may already have guessed, no one else knows I am here. I came to the world of the Tau’ri some fourteen or fifteen of your years ago. My initial mission was to learn about your people from the inside, to see how worthy they were of allying with. But I have since lost all contact with my people. Some years ago, I realized that through using the technology of the Asgard, the biggest problem of my people might be solved, that of our zero or negative population growth. Our queen, Egeria, disappeared many centuries ago, but died not many years ago. The only viable solution for the Tok’ra is to gain another queen to replace her. That is my mission now.’
~|~
Ingrid listened to Vanja’s speech without commenting. Then she thought it over long before answering. ‘A noble mission. I believe I can understand it, and I consider it worthy of aiding. Unless something is objectionable, I do not see any reason we cannot cooperate. In fact, I might even be able to help you complete it. As head scientist, I have better access than your former host ever had. What do we do to sign this partnership?’
~|~
It pleased Vanja greatly that Ingrid was willing to partner with her. ’We Blend.’ Vanja answered, opening up the floodgates of her memory, sharing everything with her new host, not holding anything back, but at the same time ensuring that the memories would not overwhelm Ingrid.
~|~
Ingrid did not know how to react when Vanja opened up her memories completely to her. At first she feared the veritable flood would overwhelm her, but soon it was clear that her symbiote was guiding it all, preventing just that. She simply lay down on the bed, listening with her mind to everything, even as she in turn explained her memories, however sparse and few they were in comparison to Vanja’s. How long they laid there blending, she had no idea. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours. It was impossible to say.
